I LOST THE AMERICAN DREAM
So why don't I just get a real job????…Believe it or not, I get asked this about everyday: from family, friends, old teachers, people I just meet. For the last couple of years, I have spent about as much time out of the country as I have in. I work a minimum wage job and babysit to survive while I'm in the states. It is by the generosity of a loving couple that I have a roof over my head, because my jobs wouldn't pay rent. So really, why don't I just get a "real" job? It makes sense in the mindset of the "American Dream."
…Get a job, pay the bills, get married, have kids, live in a nice house with a nice car, survive…
But what about the people who don't even know what the "American dream" is?
____________
A little background before we get to how I lost the "American Dream"
I grew up knowing who God was, but that was kind of the extent of it. I didn’t grow up wanting to be a missionary. In fact, it was probably as farfetched to me as becoming being an NFL star. It just never crossed my mind. I wanted to be a Storm Chaser (after watching Twister), work in a zoo (Crocodile hunter), be an archeologist (Jurassic Park), be a Social Worker (after reading A Child Called It), or be a number of things that sounded cool at that point in my life.
It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I started going to church because of a person God put in my life. The relationship faded, but the impact it created has never left. I fell in love with Jesus. I moved away to Missouri to go to College of the Ozarks. I went on my first ever mission trip in January of ’11 (my senior year) to Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico with Little One’s Ministries (lomkids.org). If you have read my support letter, you know that this was not in my plans at all. I really did not see going as a possibility. After all… it was $450. Ha! If I knew how much I’ve raised/raising for mission trips now, I would laugh. But at that moment…it was impossible! Obviously God knew better than me what was possible.
By the end of that trip, I was never going to be the same. In the next couple years, I went on one more trip with the school to Memphis, and then 4 more trips to Mexico and one to Nicaragua with Little One’s Ministries. I actually graduated early and moved down to Mexico to fill in as a house parent to six kids for a while. Needless to say, I absolutely loved being able to go where He called me at the drop of the hat.
How I was moved,
Going to Mexico and Nicaragua made me realize how much I have that I take for granted. A little thing such as hot water (or running water to be exact) is sometimes unheard of in places such as these. I learned that being clean and having a shower everyday is not near as important as what you do in that day. Having the luxury of going to the store to get food or to a nice restaurant means nothing if you don’t even know where your next meal can come from. Having your own space is less important than sharing what you have with those who have less. God has moved me in so many ways. I often get asked why I would choose to serve people I don’t know when there are people here who are in need (I will post on this at another time). Long story short, God created us all in His image. It doesn’t matter the color of our skin, the sound of our accent, or our address stamped on an envelope. We are all EQUAL in His eyes. Yes, there are people here who need help, but we are just a small dot in this world. God calls us to witness to every tribe, tongue, nation, and people… not just those within the borders of our own country. Not many people love the unknown and are willing to give up comforts to live amongst people who live differently or speak differently than we do. That is ok. There is plenty of work at home too. I, however, am willing to go.
So where does that lead me now?
As of this summer, I am headed back to Nicaragua for two more months with Little Ones. I have worked with this ministry for a while now and absolutely love what they do. In the future, I plan to continue to partner with them for as long as God sees fit. However, I have been praying for a couple years now about longer term missions than just the summer months. I did not know if this was in God’s plans for me and before now, the door had never been opened. I knew He had a plan, and if it never opened, I would be okay with that. Still, I could not get it out of my mind. I heard about The World Race in college, but never thought twice on it. When I moved back to Missouri from teaching in Colorado last fall, it resurfaced, and God kept it on my heart. I began to look into it not knowing yet if this was my desire or God’s. It wasn’t until God put a peace in my heart about going, and it all fell into place to go in January that I knew that this was the call I was waiting for. I know that God is still calling me to work with Little One’s too and this is exciting for me. It just forces me to trust in God more as I will be fundraising for two trips this year: Nicaragua in June-August, and the World Race in January-November. Nothing is impossible with God.
